Clinical Research Trials

Breakthrough care does not happen by chance. It happens when clinical experience is paired with rigorous research and a commitment to asking what can be done better.

Semmes Murphey Foundation supports clinical research that improves outcomes for patients with brain and spine conditions. Working in close partnership with Semmes Murphey physicians, hospital systems, and industry collaborators, the Foundation:

• Facilitates clinical trials across neurosurgery, neuro-intervention, neurology, and neuropsychology

• Maintains quality outcomes registries that contribute to national and international quality benchmarks

• Supports investigator-led research that informs evidence-based care

These efforts not only benefit patients treated at Semmes Murphey, but also contribute knowledge that helps shape standards of care across the country and around the world.

We’re unique in our independence from any hospital or academic institution. This approach lets Semmes Murphey physicians retain autonomy and stay focused on what is best for patients.

The Foundation’s diverse and growing portfolio spans all practice areas at Semmes Murphey, bringing innovative treatments to patients with degenerative spine conditions, neurologic diseases such as ALS and Alzheimer’s, and cerebrovascular disorders including stroke and aneurysm.

Since its inception, SMF has managed more than 128 clinical trials, attracted over $20 million in research funding, and enrolled hundreds of patients in innovative treatment protocols.

ALZ-NET | Principal Investigator: Dr. Caitlin Brockenshire

ALZ-NET is a voluntary provider-enrolled patient network that collects real-world clinical and imaging data from people evaluated for or treated with new FDA-approved Alzheimer’s therapies, including treatments designed to slow disease progression and those that treat cognitive, behavioral, or neuropsychiatric symptoms of Alzheimer’s. Semmes Murphey is the only site in the Greater Memphis area with an active ALZ-NET registry, and one of only two sites in Tennessee.

INTERCEPT | Principal Investigator: Dr. Nitin Goyal

Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) who have had a prior stroke are at very high risk of recurrent ischemic stroke. About 40% of these strokes are due to large emboli which result in large cerebral vessel occlusion (LVO). This randomized control trial aims to address this unmet need by testing whether use of bilateral carotid filter implants in addition to OAC will reduce the risk of stroke in AF patients with recent (e.g. within 12 months) ischemic stroke vs. only OAC.

PICASSO| Principal Investigator: Dr. Lucas Elijovich

The primary objective is to establish the efficacy of intra-arterial (IA) mechanical thrombectomy (MT) with extracranial proximal carotid artery acute stenting versus non-stenting approaches in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) from intracranial vessel occlusion (IVO) in the anterior circulation and have a proximal carotid occlusive disease (occlusion or severe stenosis).

TESTED| Principal Investigator: Dr. Violiza Inoa

TESTED will compare the risks and benefits of endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) to medical management (no EVT) in ischemic stroke patients who have a blockage in one of the large blood vessels in the brain and have a moderate-to-severe disability prior to their stroke.

MIS-CADS| Principal Investigator: Dr. Paul Park

Evaluate surgical treatment outcomes and identify best practice guidelines for complex adult spinal deformity (ASD) patients treated with minimally invasive approach, including radiographic and clinical outcomes, surgical and postoperative complications, risk factors for and revision surgery rates, and the role of standard work to improve patient outcomes and reduce surgical and postoperative complications.

Ask about our research studies